Valley Rescue Mission's Frances Mott dies at 91

Frances Mott, whose husband Howard Mott was the founder of the Valley Rescue Mission in Columbus, died Monday at Columbus Hospice. She was 91. Frances Mott worked alongside her husband in the growth of the shelter, first as a volunteer, then as a paid staff member.

Frances Mott, whose husband Howard Mott was the founder of the Valley Rescue Mission in Columbus, died Monday at Columbus Hospice. She was 91.

Frances Mott worked alongside her husband in the growth of the shelter, first as a volunteer, then as a paid staff member.

The couple retired in 1989 but stayed close to the organization.

After her husband's death in 2006, she continued to give support to the shelter.

In April, she attended the volunteer appreciation dinner.

Valley Rescue Mission Director of Development Donna Pearce said Mott was having a wonderful time seeing old friends.

"She was a very treasured member of Valley Rescue Mission," Pearce said.

Mott was thrilled to see how far the mission that opened with just a small church chapel and three shotgun houses had come 50 years.

"It is amazing what God has done," Mott said in a 2013 interview that was about the mission's 50th anniversary. "Every single year it has improved. I never dreamed it would become what it has. Unfortunately, the need for a Valley Rescue Mission is greater than ever."

In 2013, she recalled the hard times. She said that upon hearing Howard Mott's plan for the shelter, people told her, "you are going to starve to death."

In Valley Rescue Mission's first two years of existence, she worked without pay because the mission was low on funds.

"I didn't see it as a job. It was calling from God. The mission was our life," she said.

She worked with Jean Hammond to produce a book which told the story of the Valley Rescue Mission. "God said, "Do It" was published in 2008.

The funeral will be Friday at 3 p.m. at Trinity Temple Assembly of God Church on 12th Avenue with a private burial at Parkhill Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at McMullen Funeral Home on Gentian Boulevard.